The 2016 Fall Poker Open wrapped up in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day when the final trophy was awarded. Over 16 days of play, sixteen Borgata trophies were won. Eighteen main events and more than $2.2 million in guarantees brought out the crowds and all guarantees were covered easily. More than $3.6 million in prize money was paid out as well.

Travis Hartshorn 2016 Fall Poker Open Champion

This series was noteworthy for several reasons. The $1,000,000 Guaranteed Championship event was won by Travis Hartshorn, a 29-year-old from Pennsylvania. His heads-up battle with Borgata regular David Johnston was record-setting, taking six hours to determine a winner. Third-place finisher Gloria Jackson also carved her name in the Borgata history books just by making it to the final table. Her 3rd place finish ties Kathy Liebert’s finish in the 2005 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship. (Vanessa Selbst is the only woman to finish higher — she finished 2nd in the 2013 WPT BPO Championship and still holds the record as the highest finishing female in Borgata Open Championship history.)

It’s unusual to see any women at the big event final tables and this one had two. Valerie Novak lost a flip to finish 9th in the Championship, making her the 5th-highest finishing female in a Borgata Open Championship. The only other woman to make a Championship final table was Esther Taylor, who finished 5th in the 2015 WPT BPO Championship.

Zhaoxing Wang added his name to the very short list of players who have won two trophy events during a single series.

Howard Wolper added another notch to his record number of cashes at a single venue.

A complete list of Main Event winners is below. On behalf of Borgata, we would like to thank all the participants for making the 2016 Fall Poker Open a historic series and congratulate all the winners. From the Fall Poker Open bloggers,@TKbluffs,@Kaelaine,@out_of_positionand players, thanks to Borgata tournament staff for another excellent tournament series!

Borgata and the state of New Jersey have approved “Adjusted Payouts” for tournaments and this new policy made its debut during the DeepStacks Challenge Series in late August 2016 and immediately became a big hit.

“Adjusted Payouts”, commonly referred to as “chops”, will be allowed during most tournaments. A few designated events, such as World Poker Tour (WPT) televised events, will NOT allow adjusted payouts.

There are some restrictions on the adjusting of payouts and all players should be aware of these rules before making a deal.

1) Once all remaining players agree to an Adjusted Payout, they will notify the poker supervisor of the adjustments with player name, finish position, and amount to be paid, and the tournament will end. Players will not be allowed to continue playing for a reserved amount and/or trophy.

2) Adjusted Payouts are limited to the number of players designated on the official payouts. This means if the official prize structure shows the final nine players will get paid, it is not possible for the final ten players to chop (no paying the “bubble”).

3) The tournament clock will NOT be stopped while players discuss Adjusted Payouts.

4) Tournament Staff will protect the rights of players who do not wish to adjust the payouts. Once any player says they do not want to make a deal, further discussion will be halted.

The series begins with a $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack NLH Kickoff event, sure to bring out players in droves. Event 1 is a three day event with four starting flights, two each on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ever-popular Almighty Stack is back during the second week of the series with a $300,000 guarantee and we’ll see the return of other player favorites including the Super Stack Elevator, $1K Six Max, and the Seniors event.

The $1 Million Guaranteed Championship event has been pushed back to a Friday/Saturday start to accommodate the Thanksgiving Holiday on the 24th. Last year, Borgata regular Mike Dentale claimed his third Borgata title and first-ever Championship win in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day. His $336,331 score was and still is his largest career cash. It also pushed his lifetime earnings beyond the $1 million mark.

Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY)2015 Fall Poker Open Championship winner

Join us at Borgata next week for the kickoff of the Fall Poker Open! If you can’t make it in person, you can follow the action right here in the Fall Poker Open blog.